She didn't utter a single sentence, just held Kai tightly. But her body was far more honest than she was, trembling and shivering without pause. Tears that had already filled her eyes streamed down relentlessly.
Kai let her have her moment, let her vent out her despair. He stood still with his arms around her. He didn't press, just hovered close, careful as if afraid to hurt her.
After minutes of muffled sobbing, Iuno calmed down a little. She released Kai and sat upright.
"T-T-There was a-a man… a w-weird m-man."
She tried to speak clearly but couldn't. The rope had been tied through her mouth, leaving her lips bruised and a bluish patch forming.
It hurt her immensely just to speak a single word. Seeing her pain, Kai felt his heart crack. It was as if he was suffocating, as if someone had placed a mountain on his chest. He felt heavy, pained, irritated, and beneath it all, deeply resentful… angry.
His fists were clenched so tightly they had turned numb, his palms drained of blood and deathly white.
"Just don't… don't try to speak. Lay on your bed and rest. The man is gone. I spooked him… he was so scared he shit his pants. He's gone now. So you go rest… ok."
Iuno looked as though she had more to say, but Kai didn't give her the chance. He stood up and picked her up gently. Laying her on the bed, he pulled the blanket over her.
Before leaving, he searched for her ear pods. After finding them in the drawer, he connected them to his phone and played a song. He handed them to Iuno and gestured for her to put them on. She hesitated at first, but after he guided her hand, she finally did.
After making sure the ear pods were working properly, he stepped out of the room. After turning off the lights, he firmly closed the door.
"Haaah… haaah… haaah."
At last, the weight of what he had seen crashed down on him. His legs went numb, and he collapsed. Through sheer stubbornness and hatred, he forced himself to stay conscious and leaned against the door.
"What the fuck…"
He couldn't understand why that happened, how it happened, why it had to have happened, why it had to be her. And that lack of understanding chewed at him from the inside. Iuno's bruises, her helpless state, her broken eyes, her shivering body, her crying face… all of it flashed before him like a haunting memory.
He felt like crying… he would have cried if not for Iuno. He had to act strong for her, so she wouldn't feel scared, at least not more than she already was.
But that wasn't all. Amid the lament and self-deprecation, another emotion festered.
Anger.
"That bastard did this… that fucker who's already half dead did this… Wait, now that I think about it. Where is that son of a bitch? Why didn't he crawl like the maggot he is and follow me?"
Though Kai appreciated the fact that the ugly mutt hadn't shown his face, giving Iuno the much-needed time to calm herself, the fact he didn't come was confusing.
Exactly what was that man's agenda? Why barge into their home in the dead of night, brutally tie up his sister, and then sneak up on him?
He didn't come to steal, that much was clear. He hadn't touched a single thing besides the broken vase, which probably shattered because he couldn't walk properly.
If not for stealing, then what exactly was his reason? Kai couldn't answer that.
"Either he is a mental retard or some sadistic psychopath. He probably gets pleasure seeing people cry, break and plead for mercy. Maybe their pain gives him some kind of sick euphoria… you know what, why should I judge him for his hobby when I don't know anything about it. Perhaps it really does feel good. Perhaps seeing others in pain really is euphoric. I should give it a try… yeah, yeah, I know, yeah, I should… I should give it a try before judging that retard."
Kai made his way to the kitchen and searched through the shelves. Inside one of them, a bunch of wires were stored. He took out a fairly long one and closed the shelf.
Then he headed straight toward his room, hoping to find the man there. And just as he wished, the man was inside, standing in the middle of the room, looking over his bed.
"Such a strange bastard." Kai whispered.
He coiled the wire around both palms and stretched it. Taking a heavy gulp, he narrowed his eyes and leapt forward.
Without giving the man a chance to react, he sprang onto him and wrapped the wire around his neck. He didn't stop there. After looping it twice, he dragged the man toward the doorframe, then braced his feet against the wall and pulled with all his strength, tightening the coil as much as he could.
Throughout the process, the man only flailed like a fish out of water. Besides flailing, he didn't make a sound. Not even a choke…
He did try to free himself. After the random flailing failed, he shifted his attention to Kai's legs.
Kai's feet were pressed against the wall for leverage, making his legs the closest target. And the man used that to his advantage. His scrawny, bony fingers tore into Kai's legs.
There was no resistance. Kai's flesh ripped easily, fresh blood spilt down and wet the floor.
The man attacked like a rabid beast, wild and frenzied. A chunk of Kai's calf was torn off. The pain was mind-numbing. Electricity shot through his veins, his brain pulsed, his heart throbbed, and his eyes watered.
Yet he still held the wire tight. The pain made his vision heavy, his eyelids trembled as he struggled to keep them open, but when he saw the blood clotting and the skin around the man's neck turning blue, he felt great.